I am not shocked to see that House of the Dragon has really polarizing reviews. Game of Thrones was such a hit that people were always going to either love or hate this new prequel series. As I write this the show is not yet finished so think of this as a kind of “review in progress” type thing as I am just talking about the first few episodes that have aired as I write this.
How to Download House of the Dragon
You can download or stream the film from HBO Max. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
Even though I feel that Game of Thrones did not end on the epic note the series deserved, I was still excited to once again return to Westeros and see the drama of the Targaryen family unfold over the Iron Throne. The setting of House of the Dragon is 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys.
We get to see the start of the end of House Targaryen and what ultimately led to the events of Game of Thrones, well that is where the show is indicating it will go. I found the first episode to be pretty entertaining stuff. The king, Viserys wants an heir to the Iron Throne and while he does not have a son himself to take it, there are two candidates for it.
We have a king who just wants everyone to get on and be friends, but in typical Game of Thrones style, that is far from the case. The two potential heirs that we meet in the first episode are, Princess Rhaenyra (who is the daughter of Viserys) and his brother, Daemon.
I have to say that Prince Daemon who is played by Matt Smith is the most captivating character that the show has revealed so far. Daemon is a brutal warrior that is willing to do whatever it takes to keep House Targaryen on top and interestingly, he is the first character we get to see, sitting on the Iron Throne. The show perhaps tries to throw a few too many characters at us in the early part of it if I am being honest.
As you would expect from a prequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon does start off very slow, but already with just a few episodes I have seen, I am all in! I do not doubt that the fall of House Targaryen is going to be full of backstabbing, blood, and violence, and people trying to prove that they are the ones who can take the family forward.
One thing that did impress me greatly about the show was the production values. Game of Thrones already looked great, but I think that this is taking what they did there and adding just a bit more to it. This to me was most evident with the dragons that we saw which were some of the most amazing CG creatures I have ever seen on a TV.
There is blood, violence, sex, and everything that you loved about Game of Thrones in this show. However, I will say that the sex in the initial couple of episodes that I have seen does feel a bit forced. It was a huge part of the original series and from what we have seen so far, it feels like it is in the show because it is expected that it will be. Hey, sex sells, I get it, but I hope it is done better in future episodes.
For me, this is a decent and interesting prequel series to Game of Thrones. I am not going to say that House of the Dragon is amazing, but I do feel that the potential is there. We have had a lot of information thrown our way in the early episodes, but Prince Daemon is already becoming one of my favorite characters from this universe.
